Washington—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement on Germany’s decision to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization:

“I applaud Germany for its decision to designate Hezbollah as a terror organization and to ensure that Hezbollah’s activities are shut down within Germany’s borders. This step demonstrates Germany’s commitment to fighting terrorism and to preventing Hezbollah from further threatening the security of the United States and our allies and partners.  The financial and propaganda support that Hezbollah receives around the world directly bolsters its campaign of death against the Syrian people, its support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and its arsenal of thousands of rockets pointed at Israel from Southern Lebanon.

“While I am pleased that Germany has joined the list of other countries that have publicly recognized and denounced the Hezbollah threat, I encourage the European Union as a whole to follow suit. There is no meaningful distinction between Hezbollah’s political and military wings, and they should not continue to be treated as such.”

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